2013 Volkswagen Up! London Taxi Concept

VW's Up! microcar continues its world tour.

JENS MEINERS

Dec 14, 2010

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The paint shop at VW's styling department is keeping itself busy. Based on the soon-to-be-launched Up! microcar platform, this all-electric microvan has been shown now in several cities, each time done up in the burg or country’s typical taxi colors.

And so after Milan, Berlin, and Hong Kong comes this London version—which is surely a bit of culture shock for the Brits, who are accustomed to retro-styled black cabs. But the whitewall tires are pretty much the only retro touch on Volkswagen's London Taxi concept, which otherwise is a thinly disguised look at an Up! variant that will be launched in 2012 or 2013. It will come on the heels of the regular three-door Up! (or Lupo, as it will likely be called in production). Set to debut at next September’s Frankfurt auto show, the Up!/Lupo will go on sale shortly thereafter.

Cargo Capacity Goes, Uh, Up

What distinguishes this taxi concept from the microvan that will be sold to regular customers is the packaging: Instead of a front passenger seat, there is an area for cargo. And there is only one rear side door—but it’s on the right. This would be a deal-breaker for London, but, hey, this concept is left-hand-drive. VW deemed the London paint job sufficient to prove its point, we guess, and refrained from putting together an entirely new vehicle. Better watch for traffic when stepping out!

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The taxi treatment includes robust, beige seats and two touch screens. The screens—one is located next to the driver and the other in the passenger compartment—show fare information, as well as local weather and news. The concept has a large glass roof as well as windows that run along the roof rails, which evoke the old 21-window Samba Microbus; the entire roof is then covered by a see-through Union Jack graphic. The roof glass may not carry over to the real-world version of the Up! microvan, but if it does, you can expect it will cost extra.

Powering the VW Up! Taxi is an electric motor that produces a maximum of 113 hp, although constant output is just 74 hp. Top speed is limited to 75 mph, although that is plenty high for congested city streets. The lithium-ion battery pack is hidden in the floor, and the whole vehicle is said to weigh a hefty 3300 pounds—almost twice as much as the gasoline-powered entry-level Up! is said to weigh. Volkswagen says that the car can travel up to 185 miles or so on a single charge.

Some Background on the Up!

Volkswagen's Up! family started life as a rear-engined concept. This architecture, with its charming driving dynamics and versatile packaging possibilities, was abandoned in favor of a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout to maximize parts commonalities between the Up! and VW's Polo-class models. In doing so, the company unlocked significant economies of scale.

There will be three- and five-door versions of the Up! in addition to this vanlet. There likely will be Audi and ?koda versions, too; a possible SEAT variation is on hold, as the survival of that brand depends on whether or not VW can purchase Alfa Romeo. The fully electric drive showcased in this and other concept versions will be offered in production models, albeit at low volumes. Most Up!-based vehicles will be powered by three-cylinder internal-combustion powerplants, including a naturally aspirated gasoline engine, a turbocharged gasoline engine, and a turbo-diesel.

Will the Up! come to the United States? Probably not, although it likely would prove popular and useful in our larger cities, and probably run circles around Daimler's clumsy little Smart. A Yellow Cab take on this concept isn’t on the to-do list right now, but if VW of America wants one, we bet the German mothership would crank up that paint booth one more time.